Getting the iPad to Pro

Craig Mod considers the new iPad Pro and finds that its sleek and speedy hardware highlights the software’s flaws. Craig is one of the biggest iPad fans and power users I know, and it’s a fascinating read to get the rundown of the weird snags that slow his flow.

I have a near endless bag of these nits to share. For
the last year I’ve kept a text file of all the walls
I’ve run into using an iPad Pro as a pro machine. Is
this all too pedantic? Maybe. But it’s also kind of
fun. When’s the last time we’ve been able to watch
a company really figure out a new OS in public?

And I think that’s a great way to think about it. Nearly a decade into the iPad form factor, Apple is still trying to sort out the interaction language suited to these jumbo slices of glass. How will this evolve, and what will our future workflow look like? The details elude us, but Craig’s vision sounds good to me:

The ideal of computing software — an optimized and delightful bicycle for the mind — exists somewhere between the iOS and macOS of today. It needs to shed the complexities of macOS but allow for touch. Track pads, for example, feel downright nonsensical after editing photos on an iPad with the Pencil. But the interface also needs to move at the speed of the thoughts of the person using it. It needs to delight with swiftness and capability, not infuriate with plodding, niggling shortcomings. Keystrokes shouldn’t be lost between context switches. Data shouldn’t feel locked up in boxes in inaccessible corners.